Cobalt top layer advanced metallization for interconnects

ABSTRACT

A pattern is provided in a dielectric layer in which a set of features are patterned for a set of metal conductor structures. An adhesion promoting layer is created disposed over the patterned dielectric. A metal layer is deposited to fill a first portion of the set of features disposed the adhesion promoting layer. A ruthenium layer is deposited disposed over the metal layer. Using a physical vapor deposition process, a cobalt layer is deposited disposed over the ruthenium layer. A thermal anneal reflows the cobalt layer to fill a second portion of the set of features. In another aspect of the invention, a device created by the method is described.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates to integrated circuit devices, and morespecifically, to a method and structure to create advanced metalconductor structures in semiconductor devices.

As the dimensions of modern integrated circuitry in semiconductor chipscontinues to shrink, conventional lithography is increasingly challengedto make smaller and smaller structures. With the reduced size of theintegrated circuit, packaging the circuit features more closely togetherbecomes important as well. By placing features closer to each other, theperformance of the overall integrated circuit is improved.

However, by placing the integrated circuit features closer together,many other problems are created. One of these problems is an increase inthe resistance-capacitance (RC) delay caused at least in part by theincrease in copper resistivity as the dimensions of the features becomesmaller. The RC delay is the delay in signal speed through the circuitas the result of the resistance and capacitance of the circuit elements.

The present disclosure presents improved interconnects to alleviate thisproblem.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to this disclosure, an advanced metal conductor structure anda method for constructing the structure are described. A pattern isprovided in a dielectric layer in which a set of features are patternedfor a set of metal conductor structures. An adhesion promoting layer iscreated disposed over the patterned dielectric. A metal layer isdeposited to fill a first portion of the set of features disposed theadhesion promoting layer. A ruthenium layer is deposited disposed overthe metal layer. Using a physical vapor deposition process, a cobaltlayer is deposited disposed over the ruthenium layer. A thermal annealreflows the cobalt layer to fill a second portion of the set offeatures. In another aspect of the invention, a device created by themethod is described.

The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent features of thedisclosed subject matter. These features should be construed to bemerely illustrative. Many other beneficial results can be attained byapplying the disclosed subject matter in a different manner or bymodifying the invention as will be described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and theadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptionstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which are notnecessarily drawing to scale, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the dielectric structureafter patterning and etching steps have been performed according to afirst embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the substrate structureafter a liner deposition step has been performed according to a firstembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after afirst metal deposition step has been performed according to a firstembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after aruthenium (Ru) deposition step has been performed according to a firstembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after acobalt (Co) deposition step has been performed according to a firstembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after athermal anneal step has been performed according to a first embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after aplanarization step has been performed according to a first embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after aplanarization step has been performed according to a second embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after aplanarization step has been performed according to a third embodiment ofthe invention; and

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after aplanarization step has been performed according to a fourth embodimentof the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

At a high level, the invention provides a method and resulting structureto form interconnects which reduce resistance-capacitance (RC) delays ascompared to conventional interconnects. In the invention, a multiplefill metallization is used, where ruthenium and cobalt layers are usedas the top layers of an interconnect stack. The ruthenium/cobaltcombination is chosen as cobalt has a better lattice match withruthenium than alternative materials such as titanium or tantalum. Thisprovides a good interface for performing a reflow process. Thecombination of material provides good metal fill properties inaggressively scaled features, e.g., less than twenty nanometers. Withgood metal fill properties, the reliability of the interconnect is alsoimproved.

Instead of a complete feature fill in a single deposition step, apartial fill with one metal followed by a second fill with a secondmetal has benefits for both process control and deposited materialquality because of the reduced aspect ratio for each of the fills. Thereduced aspect ratio of the remaining structure is another advantage forthe second metal fill.

In some embodiments of the invention, the first metal fill is copper.Having Ru/Co deposited and passivated on a Cu layer provides an improvedelectromigration resistance because of a reduced Cu surface migration.Another advantage of choosing Co as the second filling material is thatnarrow Co features display comparable resistance to Cu features ofcomparable size about 40 nm or smaller features.

A “substrate” as used herein can comprise any material appropriate forthe given purpose (whether now known or developed in the future) and cancomprise, for example, Si, SiC, SiGe, SiGeC, Ge alloys, GaAs, InAs, InP,other III-V or II-VI compound semiconductors, or organic semiconductorstructures. Insulators can also be used as substrates in embodiments ofthe invention.

For purposes herein, a “semiconductor” is a material or structure thatmay include an implanted impurity that allows the material to sometimesbe conductive and sometimes be a non-conductive, based on electron andhole carrier concentration. As used herein, “implantation processes” cantake any appropriate form (whether now known or developed in the future)and can comprise, for example, ion implantation.

For purposes herein, an “insulator” is a relative term that means amaterial or structure that allows substantially less (<95%) electricalcurrent to flow than does a “conductor.” The dielectrics (insulators)mentioned herein can, for example, be grown from either a dry oxygenambient or steam and then patterned. Alternatively, the dielectricsherein may be formed from any of the many candidate high dielectricconstant (high-k) materials, including but not limited to hafnium oxide,aluminum oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, a gate dielectricstack of SiO2 and Si3N4, and metal oxides like tantalum oxide that haverelative dielectric constants above that of SiO2 (above 3.9). Thedielectric can be a combination of two or more of these materials. Thethickness of dielectrics herein may vary contingent upon the requireddevice performance. The conductors mentioned herein can be formed of anyconductive material, such as polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon),amorphous silicon, a combination of amorphous silicon and polysilicon,and polysilicon-germanium, rendered conductive by the presence of asuitable dopant. Alternatively, the conductors herein may be one or moremetals, such as tungsten, hafnium, tantalum, molybdenum, titanium, ornickel, or a metal silicide, any alloys of such metals, and may bedeposited using physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, orany other technique known in the art.

When patterning any material herein, the material to be patterned can begrown or deposited in any known manner and a patterning layer (such asan organic photoresist aka “resist”) can be formed over the material.The patterning layer (resist) can be exposed to some form of lightradiation (e.g., patterned exposure, laser exposure) provided in a lightexposure pattern, and then the resist is developed using a chemicalagent. This process changes the characteristic of the portion of theresist that was exposed to the light. Then one portion of the resist canbe rinsed off, leaving the other portion of the resist to protect thematerial to be patterned. A material removal process is then performed(e.g., plasma etching) to remove the unprotected portions of thematerial to be patterned. The resist is subsequently removed to leavethe underlying material patterned according to the light exposurepattern.

For purposes herein, “sidewall structures” are structures that arewell-known to those ordinarily skilled in the art and are generallyformed by depositing or growing a conformal insulating layer (such asany of the insulators mentioned above) and then performing a directionaletching process (anisotropic) that etches material from horizontalsurfaces at a greater rate than its removes material from verticalsurfaces, thereby leaving insulating material along the verticalsidewalls of structures. This material left on the vertical sidewalls isreferred to as a sidewall structure. The sidewall structures can be usedas masking structures for further semiconducting processing steps.

Embodiments will be explained below with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the dielectric structureafter patterning and etching steps have been performed according to afirst embodiment of the invention. Although only a single damascenefeature 102 is shown for ease in illustration, the patterned dielectricstructure could include a set of vias, a set of trenches, or combinationof the same in different embodiments of the invention. An interconnectformed in via is used to conduct current between the device andconductive line layers, or between conductive line layers. Aninterconnect formed in a trench is part of a conductive line layer whichconducts current parallel to the substrate. As is known, a photoresistor sacrificial mandrel layer can be patterned over a dielectric layer.The subsequent etch will create the dielectric structure depicted inFIG. 1. The dielectric layer 101 is silicon dioxide in preferredembodiments, however, other dielectric materials are used in otherembodiments of the invention. Further, the dielectric layer 101 ispreferably part of a multilayer structure comprising a plurality ofmaterials.

The single damascene structure 102 shown in FIG. 1 has been etched intothe substrate with an aspect ratio (H/D) of height (=H) to width (=D).The example illustration shown in FIG. 1 could be a via or a trench. Insome embodiments of the invention the range of aspect ratios is 0.5 to20 with aspect ratios of 1 to 10 being preferred. However, in the actualdevice, there may be high aspect ratios (Height/width) which are greaterthan 20:1. A typical range of heights of the patterned structure (ordepths of the patterned structure) H is from 100 nanometers to 10micrometers and a typical range of widths of an individual feature D isfrom 5 nanometers to 1 micrometers.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the substrate structureafter a liner deposition step has been performed according to a firstembodiment of the invention. In preferred embodiments of the invention,a liner material selected from the group of Ta, Ti, W, Ru, Co theirnitrides or a combination of the same is deposited. The liner materialis deposited as a barrier layer 103 over the patterned dielectric layer101 utilizing any conventional deposition process including, forexample, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapordeposition (PECVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD) or sputtering. Thethickness of the layer 103 can vary according to the type of layer beingformed and the technique used in forming the same. Typically, the layer103 has a thickness from 1 nm to 100 nm with a thickness from 2 nm to 20nm being more typical. The liner material 103 prevents the diffusion ofthe subsequent metal layer, e.g., a copper layer, into the dielectric101, acting also as an adhesion promoting layer so that the copper metallayer is bonded to the substrate. Experimental results have shown thatdirect deposition of Cu on the dielectric produces poor adhesion andcauses delamination related reliability problems.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after afirst metal deposition step has been performed according to a firstembodiment of the invention. In preferred embodiments of the invention,the first metal deposition is a copper deposition step. However, inother embodiments of the invention, the second metal is selected fromthe group consisting of Al, Ni, Ir, Rh and Ni. The first metal layer 105can be formed by a conventional deposition process including, forexample, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapordeposition (PECVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), physical vapordeposition (PVD), sputtering, chemical solution deposition and plating.The deposition step is followed by a thermal anneal which reflows thefirst metal layer 105 into the feature by capillary action. Suitablethermal anneal conditions are given below in association with the cobaltreflow. In preferred embodiments, the thickness of the first metal layer105 will be sufficient to fill a first portion of the feature. Inpreferred embodiments of the invention, the thickness of the first metallayer 105 is in the range of 1 nm to 100 nm, with a thickness from 2 nmto 20 nm being more typical. Although not depicted, after the reflowprocess, there is usually a very small amount of continues Cu on bothsidewall and field (not shown in the figure).

By performing a first fill, the remaining aspect ratio of the featurefor the next metal fill is reduced. A reduced aspect ratio is preferredfor the second metal fill from both a process capability and depositedmaterial quality point of view. Thus, embodiments of the invention use atwo metal fill process rather than a single, complete fill of thefeature in a single step.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after a Rumetal deposition step has been performed according to a first embodimentof the invention. The ruthenium layer 107 can be formed by aconventional deposition process including, for example, chemical vapordeposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD),atomic layer deposition (ALD), physical vapor deposition (PVD),sputtering, chemical solution deposition and plating. In preferredembodiments, the thickness of the Ru layer will be sufficient to coverthe liner layer 103 and the first metal layer 105 and in the range of 1nm to 100 nm, with a thickness from 2 nm to 20 nm being more typical. Asillustrated, the Ru deposition layer 105 is substantially conformal overthe rest of the structure, however, a conformal layer is not arequirement of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after acobalt (Co) deposition step has been performed according to a firstembodiment of the invention. The cobalt layer 109 is formed by aphysical vapor deposition (PVD) in the preferred embodiment. Depositionof cobalt using other deposition techniques, for example, enhancedatomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD),sputtering, chemical solution deposition and plating have much greaterimpurities. For example, empirical data indicates that CVD and ALDdepositions have C, Cl, O and S impurities cumulatively in excess of1000 pm while PVD layers have cumulative deposition less than 200 ppm.Test data has indicated that purity of the Co layer 109 is important forcreating a low resistivity conductor. Further, the purity of the cobaltlayer should improve the reliability of the interconnect, and therefore,the device. In preferred embodiments, the thickness of the Co layer 107is sufficient to fill a first portion of the feature after a subsequentthermal anneal step. In preferred embodiments, the thickness of the Colayer 109 will be in the range of 2 nm to 800 nm, with a thickness from5 nm to 100 nm being more typical. Although as illustrated, the Codeposition layer 109 appears substantially conformal over the Ru layer107, a PVD deposited film is generally not conformal nor is this arequirement of the invention. The presence of the Ru layer 107 improvesthe reflow properties of the Co in aggressively scaled features (lessthan 20 nm) and is expected to improve reliability of the interconnect.Having Ru/Co deposited and passivated on Cu provides an improvedelectromigration resistance because of a reduced Cu surface migration.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after athermal anneal step has been performed according to a first embodimentof the invention according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown,the Co layer 109 fills a second, remaining portion of the feature. Thedesired depth of the second portion is dependent on the resistivity andreliability needed for the final interconnect structure.

In one preferred embodiment, the thermal anneal is carried out in afurnace between a temperature range between 200-500 degrees Centigradein a neutral ambient, for example, in an N2, H2, He ambient or a mixturethereof. If carried out in a furnace, the thermal anneal is carried outfor a period of 30 minutes to 5 hours in embodiments of the invention.In another embodiment, the thermal anneal is carried out through laserannealing. 20 nanoseconds to 30 minutes, 400-900 degrees Centigradeusing a similar ambient.

Depending on the chosen temperature the anneal will form a Ru/Cointerface or a Ru(Co) alloy liner. At relatively low temperatures, e.g.,300 degrees Centigrade and below, a Ru/Co interface is formed, at highannealing temperatures, a Ru(Co) alloy is formed. Experimental dataindicates that when a Ru(Co) alloy is formed, its thickness is less than5 nm. For a certain thermal platform, a higher annealing temperaturerequires a shorter time to complete the reflow process. The thermalanneal also reflows the cobalt 107 from the field area into thepatterned features in the dielectric due to capillary driving force.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after aplanarization step has been performed according to a first embodiment ofthe invention. The drawing depicts the structure after a planarizationprocess such as a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) step has beenperformed according to a first embodiment of the invention. Typically, aCMP process uses an abrasive and corrosive chemical slurry (commonly acolloid) in conjunction with a polishing pad. The pad and wafer arepressed together by a dynamic polishing head and held in place by aplastic retaining ring. As shown, the CMP step has removed the excessportions of the liner layer 103, the Ru layer 107 and the Co layer 109in the field areas of the dielectric layer outside the features of thepattern in the dielectric 101. As mentioned above, in embodiments of theinvention where a high anneal temperature is used and an Ru(Co) alloylayer formed, the Ru(Co) alloy layer is also removed by the CMP step.Other planarization processes are known to the art and are used inalternative embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after aplanarization step has been performed according to a second embodimentof the invention. This figure corresponds to FIG. 7 which depicts thestructure for the first embodiment after a chemical mechanical polishing(CMP) step or other planarization has been performed. In FIG. 8, anitridized layer 111 is formed before the liner layer 103 of FIG. 2. Inthe drawing, a surface treatment has been performed on the dielectricsubstrate resulting in a nitridized surface layer 111. The nitridizedlayer 111 is created on the surface of the dielectric including thesidewalls and bottom of the feature utilizing a plasma or thermalprocess which increases the concentration of nitrogen in a surfaceportion of the dielectric. Using both layers 111 and 103 in a structurefor extra adhesion between the first metal layer 105 and the dielectric101 may be critical for semiconductor products which require highreliability.

The thermal nitridation process employed in embodiments of the presentinvention disclosure does not include an electrical bias higher than 200W in a nitrogen-containing gas or gas mixture. The nitrogen-containinggases that can be employed in the present invention include, but are notlimited to, N2, NH3, NH4, NO, and NHx wherein x is between 0 and 1 ormixtures thereof. In some embodiments, the nitrogen-containing gas isused neat, i.e., non-diluted. In other embodiments, thenitrogen-containing gas can be diluted with an inert gas such as, forexample, He, Ne, Ar and mixtures thereof. In some embodiments, H2 can beused to dilute the nitrogen-containing gas. The nitrogen-containing gasemployed in the present disclosure is typically from 10% to 100%, with anitrogen content within the nitrogen-containing gas from 50% to 80%being more typical. In one embodiment, the thermal nitridation processemployed in the present disclosure is performed at a temperature from50° C. to 450° C. In another embodiment, the thermal nitridation processemployed in the present disclosure is performed at a temperature from100° C. to 300° C. for 30 minutes to 5 hours. In one set of embodiments,the resulting nitride enhanced layer is between 2 angstroms to 30angstroms thick, but alternative embodiments can have thicknessesoutside this range.

In some embodiments, a N2 plasma process is used to create the nitridelayer which involves an electrical bias higher than 350 W. An N2 plasmacan be controlled without damaging the dielectric with ion currentdensity range: 50˜2000 uA/cm2, and process temperature between 80 and350 degrees C.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after aplanarization step has been performed according to a fourth embodimentof the invention. The processing is similar to that in the firstembodiment, except that an additional nitridation step has been addedafter the Ru deposition so that at least a nitridized surface is createdon the Ru layer 107′ (denoted as 107′ rather than 107 to indicate thechange). The nitridized Ru layer 107′ is created utilizing a plasma orthermal process which increases the concentration of nitrogen in atleast a surface portion of the Ru layer 107′. In some embodiments, onlya surface layer of ruthenium is converted into a nitrogen enrichedlayer. In the embodiment as depicted, the Ru layer 107′ is fullynitridized. The conditions used in the nitridation step can be similarto those discussed above in relation to nitridation of the dielectricsurface. The presence of the Ru nitride layer 107′ improves the reflowproperties of the Co in aggressively scaled features (less than 20 nm)and is expected to improve reliability of the interconnect. In addition,the nitridized layer prevents the Ru and Co from forming an alloy. For acertain thermal platform, a higher annealing temperature requires ashorter time to complete the reflow process, so the nitridized layer isan advantage when a separation of the Ru and Co layers should bemaintained, but a higher annealing temperature is desired.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional diagram depicting the structure after aplanarization step has been performed according to a fourth embodimentof the invention. The processing is similar to that in the secondembodiment, having both the nitrogen enriched layer 111 and the linerlayer 103 to promote adhesion. In addition, the nitridation step of thethird embodiment has been added after the Ru deposition so that anitridized surface is created on the Ru layer 107′ or a fully nitridizedRu layer 107′ is created.

Processing of additional layers of the integrated circuit deviceproceeds after the steps illustrated in the disclosure. For example, asecond set of conductive lines could be created using an embodiment ofthe invention in subsequent steps if required for completion of theintegrated circuit.

The resulting structure can be included within integrated circuit chips,which can be distributed by the fabricator in wafer form (that is, as asingle wafer that has multiple chips), as a bare die, or in a packagedform. In any case, the chip is then integrated with other chips,discrete circuit elements, and/or other signal processing devices aspart of either (a) an intermediate product, such as a motherboard, or(b) an end product. The end product can be any product that includesintegrated circuit chips, ranging from toys and other low-endapplications to advanced computer products having a display, a keyboardor other input device, and a central processor.

While only one or a limited number of features are illustrated in thedrawings, those ordinarily skilled in the art would understand that manydifferent types of features could be simultaneously formed with theembodiment herein and the drawings are intended to show simultaneousformation of multiple different types of features. However, the drawingshave been simplified to only show a limited number of features forclarity and to allow the reader to more easily recognize the differentfeatures illustrated. This is not intended to limit the inventionbecause, as would be understood by those ordinarily skilled in the art,the invention is applicable to structures that include many of each typeof feature shown in the drawings.

While the above describes a particular order of operations performed bycertain embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that suchorder is exemplary, as alternative embodiments may perform theoperations in a different order, combine certain operations, overlapcertain operations, or the like. References in the specification to agiven embodiment indicate that the embodiment described may include aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodimentmay not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic.

In addition, terms such as “right”, “left”, “vertical”, “horizontal”,“top”, “bottom”, “upper”, “lower”, “under”, “below”, “underlying”,“over”, “overlying”, “parallel”, “perpendicular”, etc., used herein areunderstood to be relative locations as they are oriented and illustratedin the drawings (unless otherwise indicated). Terms such as “touching”,“on”, “in direct contact”, “abutting”, “directly adjacent to”, etc.,mean that at least one element physically contacts another element(without other elements separating the described elements).

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

Having described our invention, what we now claim is as follows:
 1. Amethod for fabricating an advanced metal conductor structure comprising:providing a pattern in a dielectric layer, wherein the pattern includesa set of features in the dielectric for a set of metal conductorstructures; creating an adhesion promoting layer disposed over thepatterned dielectric; depositing a metal layer to fill a first portionof the set of features disposed the adhesion promoting layer; depositinga ruthenium layer disposed over the metal layer; nitridizing theruthenium layer using a nitridation process which nitridizes at least asurface portion of the ruthenium layer; using a physical vapordeposition process to deposit a cobalt layer disposed over the rutheniumlayer; and performing a thermal anneal which reflows the cobalt layer tofill a second portion of the set of features.
 2. The method as recitedin claim 1, wherein the adhesion promoting layer is a liner layer. 3.The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the adhesion promoting layeris a nitrogen enriched layer produced by a nitridation process.
 4. Themethod as recited in claim 1, wherein the adhesion promoting layer iscomprised of a nitrogen enriched layer produced by a nitridation processand a liner layer comprised of one or more materials selected from thegroup consisting of Ta, Ti, W, TaN, TiN and WN.
 5. The method as recitedin claim 1, wherein the set of metal conductor structures are a set ofconductive lines.
 6. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein thethermal anneal is carried out in a temperature range between 300-800degrees Centigrade in a neutral ambient and a RuCo alloy is formed. 7.The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising removing excessmaterial on field areas of the dielectric layer using a planarizationprocess.
 8. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the nitridationprocess which creates the nitrogen enriched layer is selected from thegroup of a plasma nitrididation process and a thermal nitridationprocess.